Is it worth betting on Blair being defeated? With the crucial vote taking place later today on the Terror bill William Hill are offering odds of 1/2 that Tony Blair’s 90 day detention period for terrorist suspects will become law. The bookmaker is also offering 6/4 that the measure will not make it on to the statute book at this attempt. This is quite a tough one to call because even if it does go the Government’s way today the…
The story may not be over Before David Blunkett‘s resignation from the Cabinet yesterday, Liberal Democrat spokesman David Laws commented that Blunkett had “used up eight of his nine lives”. Number nine has gone now, in what must surely end any future hopes of high office. But what does it mean for the other great survivor of politics, Tony Blair? Reinstating Blunkett in the Cabinet immediately after the General Election in May showed great faith in his character. That’s now…
It has just been announced that David Blunkett has resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary after a meeting with Tony Blair this morning. This is the second time in eleven months that he has had to step down. 11.50 am UPDATE It’s now 8/1 that he’ll be back in the Cabinet by December 2006 William Hill, who had been offering 7/4 against David Blunkett resigning, are now offering odds of 8/1 that he will be back in the Cabinet by…
For his next trick… What recent speculation there’s been about the political future of Tony Blair has mostly concentrated on the impatience of some of his own MPs to get rid of him: the prospect, for example, of Glenda Jackson as a stalking horse next autumn. But could it be that current events in the Conservative party are making Blair keener to continue? Even Tony Blair’s political detractors have to see the skill in the way he conducts himself at…
Round One to Stephen Thomas as Clarke ejected Report by Paul Maggs Stephen Thomas, entry number 98, has won pb.com’s Round 1 prediction competition with an overall score of just 2, getting the Davis, Cameron, and Clarke scores exactly right, and being two votes out with Fox. There was a three-way tie for second place, between AH Matlock, Cymrumark, and Ukpaul who all scored 4, while Jan, Ben, Roger and Houndtang all scored 6 points. Attention now shifts to Thursday’s…
…… How many votes will each get in Tuesday’s ballot? We’ve argued about it for six months and on Tuesday the first ballots will be cast in the 2005 Tory leadership election. How is this going to go? Will front-runner David Cameron be hurt by not answering the drug questions? Will former front-runner David Davis cruise into the next round as easily as his number of declared supporters suggest – or will some change their minds in the secrecy of…
Its Fox vs Clark In First Leadership Cull Bookmakers William Hill make Liam Fox their 5/6 odds-on favourite to be the first Tory leadership candidate to be balloted out of the running, closely followed by Ken Clarke who is priced at Even money. The other prices for the early departure are David Cameron 11/1 and David Davis 25/1 We think Hills have priced this wrong because the big move today on the betting exchanges has been an easing of the…
Merkel’s election means we can now announce the results On the August Bank Holiday, we put up a prediction competition based on September’s political events around the world. We had a close result, and the top three contestants were: Haz S: 56 points Chris: 54 points Ben: 51 points The winner Haz S, also known as Harry Spencer, lives in North Norfolk and is a sixth-form student who aims to become a lawyer. Outside politics he enjoys tennis, music, computer…